


North Star Negotiators

by youcouldmakealife



Series: Follow the North Star [27]
Category: Original Work
Genre: M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-02
Updated: 2017-08-02
Packaged: 2018-12-10 07:11:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,335
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11686635
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/youcouldmakealife/pseuds/youcouldmakealife
Summary: “Okay, so I’m not a big enough dork to make badges,” Fitzy says, which is debatable, “But we need a name.”“A name for what?” Val asks.“Our club, obviously,” Fitzy says. “Our club to fix things.”





	North Star Negotiators

Victor cannot believe this is his life.

His day starts with a text from Fitzy, sent before seven, though Fitzy doesn’t really seem like the morning person type. _u and val are coming over at 2_ , Fitzy’s texted, along with an address, _not that u dont already no it_ , which has Victor wincing, as much for the spelling as the reminder of his time in the bushes, and then, _if u dont show up im hunting u down._

Victor is vaguely interested in seeing if Fitzy _could_ hunt him down, but now he’s also curious as to what the hell requires him and Val specifically. He has a few guesses, but it’s always better to know for sure.

 _Why?_ he texts back, then goes to take a shower. 

_because_ , Fitzy’s texted back, irritatingly opaque, by the time he gets out.

Victor waffles on whether to go multiple times. Fitzy can’t just get him to go where you want him to just by summoning him, he’s not a _dog_. But after Val sends him a couple confused texts, one saying _about rookie detectives????_ , Victor’s decided he should, if only because he wants to confirm that the dude they spied on last spring was totally Fitzy’s boyfriend and Roman lied to his face about it. He doesn’t know why Roman lied yet, because Roman’s not the type to lie, but that’s another issue, and it’d be best to confront Roman with hard evidence to back him up.

“Come in, come in,” Fitzy says, when Victor rings his doorbell at two on the nose. “Val texted a couple minutes ago that he’s on his way.”

Victor takes his boots off at the mat by the door, beside a bright pair of sneakers he’s seen Fitzy wear and the kind of winter boots Victor’s dad made him wear as a kid, ugly and utilitarian. They’re gigantic. _Big guy, then,_ Victor decides, trying to estimate how big the guy in the window was. Taller than average, over six feet, and probably by a few inches. Seemed broad. 

_Played with Fitzy_ , Victor suddenly remembers Roman saying, albeit while he was denying the guy in the photo was Fitzy’s boyfriend. That might be something to look into, though there’s no shortage of big hockey players. Too old to be a teammate before Fitzy hit adulthood, and if he was NHL there’d have to be a headshot somewhere to compare to the picture Victor got. Huh. He has a lead. He’s a little ashamed he didn’t pay attention to it until now.

“Your boyfriend at work?” Victor asks, after Fitzy’s shown him to the living room and gotten him some water. He’s a surprisingly good host.

“At his mom’s,” Fitzy says, which is annoying, but means he’s probably from around here. That isn’t helpful now, but might be later. Just because Roman shut down the Rookie Detectives doesn’t mean Victor’s willing to give up a mystery.

“Guess he doesn’t work a 9 to 5 then?” Victor asks.

“Are you detecting right now, Kjeldsen?” Fitzy asks with a grin.

“Just making conversation,” Victor says. 

The doorbell goes, and while Fitzy goes to open it Victor scans the living room. No pictures. He figured it wouldn’t be that easy. Today’s newspaper, with sudoku filled in in pen, crossword in pencil. The handwriting on the sudoku is different than the one on the crossword, so the boyfriend was presumably still here this morning, which means either his mother lives nearby, or he’s gone overnight. There are still some empty spaces, and Victor’s fingers itch for a pencil after he solves one of them, but you don’t finish a man’s crossword for him. That’d be uncool.

“Thirty-six down is chamberlain,” Victor says when Fitzy returns with Val though, because it’ll bug him if he doesn’t, and he can see which one Fitzy’s handwriting matches in the bargain.

“How the hell did you get that?” Fitzy asks, then grabs the pencil and fills it in. His handwriting matches the rest. Victor never really took him for the crossword type, but apparently he has hidden depths.

Victor shrugs. “Wasn’t hard to fill in the blanks,” he says.

“Showoff,” Fitzy says, then, “Figure out any other ones?”

Victor scans it, gives Fitzy a few more until Val fidgets and says, “Why we here?”

“Oh!” Fitzy says. “One sec.” He disappears into the kitchen, returning with a plate of cookies and a glass of water he hands to Val.

“We’re here for cookies?” Victor asks.

“Nah, I’m just buttering you up first,” Liam says. “Want one? They’re really good.”

“You make the cookies?” Val asks suspiciously.

“Definitely not eating anything you made,” Victor agrees.

“My boyfriend did,” Fitzy says, and when they continue to give him suspicious looks, takes a huge bite of one before theatrically moaning.

Victor rolls his eyes, but he kind of gets the moaning after a second, actually, because holy fuck, it’s _good_. Like, not ‘surprisingly not bad’ good, but holy _fuck_ good.

“He a baker or something?” Victor asks. He’s kind of still prying for information, but also if the dude’s a baker, Victor wants to know where to buy his shit. It’d probably a bad idea in the long run, but these are cookies worth a workout.

“Just a hobby of his,” Liam says. “You should see what he can do with meat.”

“Um,” Victor says.

Val looks flustered.

“I wasn’t actually talking about sex for once,” Fitzy says, then beams. “But thank you for having faith in me.”

“Faith in you being a perv?” Victor asks.

“Yeah,” Fitzy says, still beaming.

Val gives Victor a look, and all Victor can do in response is shrug.

“Have as many as you want,” Fitzy says when Val looks back at the plate longingly. “He made them for his mom, these are just leftovers.” 

Victor shouldn’t.

“Please don’t leave them alone with me,” Fitzy begs. “If I ate everything he made they’d have to roll me onto the ice.”

Victor has no idea how it’s possible, but the second cookie is somehow even better than the first. 

Val eats two cookies in the time Victor spends savoring his. “Keep him,” he says after the second, wiping crumbs off his mouth.

“Listen to Val,” Victor says.

“I plan on it,” Fitzy says, then, “Oh! Speaking of gay shit…”

Victor can’t even be mad about the segue. He knew he was walking into a trap, and at least the trap included cookies. 

Victor exchanges a glance with Val. “Evan?” Val mouths, and Victor shrugs.

“Oh good, wanted to double check you both knew,” Fitzy says. “Not cool prying into stuff about people’s boyfriends if you weren’t told.”

Val looks down guiltily.

“You’re enjoying holding this above our heads way too much,” Victor says.

“I am enjoying it exactly the right amount,” Fitzy counters.

“I’m guessing this is why you invited us over?” Victor asks.

“Such a good detective, Kjeldsen!” Fitzy says.

“Fuck off,” Victor mutters, because that sounded condescending, and he _is_.

“It’s pretty clear this is about to blow up in someone’s face,” Fitzy says. “And then in the entire team’s face.”

“And what are we supposed to do about that?” Victor says. “Ev made his choice.”

“Or not,” Fitzy says.

“Okay, he made his choice not to make a choice,” Victor says. “It’s still not something we can do anything about.”

“Unless,” Fitzy says, puffing himself up. “We can.”

“Like what?” Val asks. “You have a plan?”

Fitzy deflates. “I was kind of hoping you could help me with that.”

“Look,” Victor says. “I like Roman.” 

Val looks expectantly at him with his big blue eyes.

“And Harry,” Victor reluctantly adds.

Val turns his look on Fitzy.

“We all do,” Fitzy says after a moment.

“But no offense, I don’t give a shit as long as Evan’s okay,” Victor says. 

Val mumbles something.

“What’s that?” Victor asks.

“I want everyone okay,” Val says.

“Okay, but that’s not going to happen,” Victor says. “Like, kind of by definition, Ev’s got to pick one of them.”

“How’s he feeling about that?” Fitzy says.

Victor considers what Evan would be comfortable with Fitzy knowing. “Stressed,” he lands up with.

“Very stressed,” Val chimes in. “And sad. And worried. And--”

He quiets when Victor puts a hand over his.

“What if he didn’t have to choose?” Fitzy asks. 

“What do you mean?” Victor asks.

“Would he feel better about someone making the choice for him?” Fitzy asks.

“I don’t think he’d be happier getting dumped, no,” Victor says. Knowing him that’d lead to a ton of second guessing, a lot of hurt, and so, so many feelings of rejection. Victor knows there isn’t like — basically someone’s getting screwed here, and he knows Evan kind of opened that Pandora’s Box in the first place, but still. 

Fitzy winces.

“Shit,” Victor says. “What do you know?”

“Nothing!” Fitzy says.

“You’re an awful liar,” Victor says. He has no idea how his boyfriend’s stayed secret so long, other than the fact Roman banned trailing him. 

“If Evan might be the one getting hurt, does that make you give a shit?” Fitzy asks.

“What do you _know_?” Victor repeats.

“Before I tell you, you have to agree to something,” Fitzy says.

“That’s not a suspicious thing to ask for at all,” Victor says.

“I don’t have badges or anything,” Fitzy says. “I mean, other than this one.” He pulls out the Rookie Detectives pin he confiscated with a flourish.

Val gapes. “Where you get?” he asks.

Victor almost forgot that he was down in Iowa when their botched surveillance mission occurred. “It’s Evan’s,” Victor says. “He, uh.”

“Left it in my backyard,” Fitzy says, making it bounce over his fingers before he tucks it back in his pocket. Victor can’t believe he had it on him just for dramatic effect. Well. He can, actually.

“But Evan still has his,” Val says. “I saw in his room last week.”

Victor frowns. 

Fitzy frowns too.

“Oh my god, Roman made him a replacement,” Fitzy says delightedly. “And he keeps it in his room like a token of _love_.”

Victor’s team is full of ridiculous people. He should be used to it by now, but somehow he always manages to be surprised by the depths of that ridiculousness.

“Okay, so I’m not a big enough dork to make badges,” Fitzy says, which is debatable, “But we need a name.”

“A name for what?” Val asks.

“Our club, obviously,” Fitzy says. “Our club to fix things.”

“Maybe we should mind our own business,” Victor says.

“Did you say that about the Rookie Detectives?” Fitzy asks.

“Yes, actually,” Victor says. 

Val snorts.

“Val disagrees,” Fitzy says.

“I did!” Victor says. But then it started to seem like a puzzle. Victor is very, very bad at resisting puzzles.

“I was thinking Motivated Mediators,” Fitzy says. “What do you think?”

Val shoots a confused look at Victor.

“ _You_ explain mediating to him,” Victor says. “Also no, absolutely not.”

“North Star Negotiators?” Fitzy tries. “Awesome Arbitrators?”

“How many of these do you have?” Victor asks.

“So many,” Fitzy says. 

“I like North Star Negotiators,” Val says. “It sounds nice.”

“Victor?” Fitzy says.

“Fine, whatever,” Victor says. “Whatever stupid name Val wants.”

“I liked it,” Val mumbles.

“You’re upsetting the Sweet Child,” Fitzy says.

“You’re a sweet child,” Victor says, which is not only a bad comeback, but also blatantly untrue. He’s older than Victor, for one, which is terrifying when he thinks about it, and Victor bets he was an awful kid. He still acts like a kid on a sugar rush _now_ , Victor can’t imagine what actual sugar rushes looked like when he was a _child_.

Fitzy blows him a kiss.

“Okay, I agreed, so can you tell us what you know, now?” Victor asks.

“You’re part of the club?” Fitzy asks.

“I _guess_ ,” Victor says.

“Val?” Fitzy asks.

Val gives him a thumbs up.

“I’m pretty sure Roman’s planning on dumping Connie,” Fitzy says. “Or like. Not dumping. Retreating from contention while feeling very tragic about it?”

Val makes a noise, and they both look over.

“Evan asked me if it was okay for me to leave after lunch because Roman needed to talk,” Val says. “Was fine, because I was coming here.”

“So basically Evan’s getting dumped right now,” Victor says. 

“Well, getting…retreated on,” Fitzy says. “But yeah, probably.”

Great. Wonderful. This is in absolutely no way going to end with Evan in tears on Victor’s couch. Absolutely no way he gets dumped by Harry too if he gets too upset about Roman. Victor knows he sure as shit wouldn’t be okay watching someone he was with feeling brokenhearted about someone else, and Harry’s…Harry doesn’t seem like the kind of dude to take that well. Victor might wish Evan hadn’t started things with either of them, but it’s too late for that, and it definitely doesn’t mean Evan alone is the better option.

“You’re both staying here until we figure this out,” Fitzy says.

“Figure what out?” Victor says. “It’s not like we can do anything about it now.”

“Damage control, then,” Fitzy says. “We’re figuring out damage control. Don’t even think about getting up until we’re done.”

“So this is what?” Victor says. “A hostage situation?” He’s wondering when Fitzy’s boyfriend comes home now, though. He could wait it out for an answer to that question, because he has his doubts they’re going to get an answer to this one.

“If you make it one,” Fitzy says.

Val’s quiet. “Can I have another cookie?” he asks after a moment, because he’s weak.

“Yes, yes you can,” Fitzy says. “Another cookie, Victor?”

Victor sighs. “Fine,” he says, checking his phone while he chews. He’s got a text from his mom, but nothing from Evan.

“Evan?” Val asks, and Victor shakes his head.

“Maybe is fine,” Val says. Victor thinks he’s trying for cheerful, but it lands way off the mark.

“Sure,” Victor says. “I’m sure it’s going great.”


End file.
